# Apple Pay Automation

> Log every Apple Pay purchase to Maple Budget automatically on iPhone: add the Log Expense shortcut, create the Wallet automation in Shortcuts, then pay. Two minutes, once.

Maple Budget docs. Hosted MCP server: `https://api.maplebudget.com/mcp` (Streamable HTTP, OAuth sign-in). Web page: https://maplebudget.com/docs/apple-pay-automation/ · Index of all pages: https://maplebudget.com/llms.txt

Once this is set up, every Apple Pay purchase on your iPhone or Apple Watch is logged to Maple Budget by itself, with the amount, the store, the card and a category. It takes about two minutes, once.

Video of every tap: https://maplebudget.com/videos/apple-pay-automation.mp4

## What You Need

- An iPhone with iOS 17 or later (built and tested on iOS 27).
- Maple Budget 1.6.4 or later from the App Store, signed in.
- Apple Pay set up in Wallet.

## Step 1: Add The Shortcut

In Maple Budget, open **Menu → Shortcuts → Apple Pay Automation** and tap **Add Shortcut**. The Shortcuts app opens with Log Expense; tap **Add Shortcut** again. You can also [get the shortcut here](https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/f3f7233ca4494b9690da6add51ac85e5).

## Step 2: Create The Wallet Automation

This is the part that runs Log Expense each time you pay. The video above shows every tap.

1. Open the Shortcuts app, go to the Automation tab and tap +.
2. Search "Wallet" and pick "When I Tap A Wallet Card Or Pass". Leave it on Any Card.
3. Search "Log" and add Log Expense (from Maple Budget).
4. Tap Amount, choose Transaction, then choose Amount.
5. Tap Merchant, choose Transaction, then choose Merchant.
6. Tap the "When Any Card Is Tapped" trigger and make sure Automation is on.

## Step 3: Pay With Apple Pay

Buy something with Apple Pay. A notification shows what Maple logged, and the purchase is in your transactions right away. In the app, the setup page ticks itself off.

## Why Two Steps

iOS doesn't let an app or a shared shortcut add a Wallet automation for you: when you add a shared shortcut, iPhone drops its Wallet trigger. So you add Maple's Log Expense shortcut, then create the Wallet automation yourself once.

## Troubleshooting

- **Nothing arrives after paying:** open the automation in Shortcuts and check Automation is on, and that Amount and Merchant are set to the Transaction's Amount and Merchant.
- **"No Purchase Came Through" when you run it yourself:** that's expected. Log Expense only gets a purchase when you actually pay with Apple Pay.
- **Check Maple can receive purchases:** in Maple, tap **Send A Test** on the Apple Pay Automation page.
- **Still stuck?** Email [hello@maplebudget.com](mailto:hello@maplebudget.com).

More about Maple's iPhone Shortcuts, including Back Tap for cash, is on [iPhone Shortcuts](https://maplebudget.com/iphone-shortcuts).